Monuments for All – Help Save Our National Monuments

Nature is the Great Equalizer.

The National Parks offer citizens across the globe the opportunity to visit some of America’s finest natural wonders. Whether it’s on a family vacation, a retired couple exploring the West, a group of recent college grads on a cross-country road trip, or a foreign visitor exploring a new part of our world, we are all able to enjoy the national parks equally. And, I might add, affordably.

Some of my fondest childhood memories involve a family road trip to Mount Rushmore. Last summer my boyfriend and I visited 14 national parks, as well as multiple national monuments, recreation areas, and Forest Service Areas. This land should belong to the American people, but currently 27 national monuments are under review. This threatens not only our current national monuments, but the entire future of the National Parks System, and by association all other organizations associated with conservation and preservation of our natural lands. For more information on what exactly a national monument is and the issues surrounding this review, check out Bearfoot Theory’s blog.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument

My greatest fear is that one day, these areas will no longer be a symbol of freedom, but will instead be sold off to the highest bidder and decimated for a profit that does not benefit the vast majority of the American people. Because of this, I am taking part in the Monumental Day of Blogging. I stand by the protest of thousands of Americans who have signed petitions, made phone calls, and emailed their representatives in favor of maintaining our current national monuments. Why? I could go into all of the stats, but let’s keep it personal.

If we can’t fix our heath care system, at least we have a place to hike, swim, camp, and climb. A place we can escape our stressors and our screens, and just BE.

If we can’t eliminate violence and crime, at least we have places we can go to escape the commotion of the city and remember what it feels like to be part of something greater, something essentially good.

If we can’t fix racism and sexism and all of the –isms, at least we have a place where we are all equal, and there is no judgment, only people meeting people, people sharing stories, and people empowering other people to learn.

The American people have a right to this space. The for-profit oil and mining companies do not. I would love nothing more than to see future generations take ownership of our National Parks and Monuments, and care for them as past generations have done. But how can they care, if they never get to visit?

Let us have some part of our government that we can all be proud of. The national parks truly are “America’s Best Idea”. Please, take 2 minutes to submit your comments, and help protect our national parks and monuments.

Thanks to Scott from JustGetOutMore.com and all of my other blogging friends for fighting the good fight.